The Broken Wings
by wowwy66
Summary: The Wings are famous beings, hunted and tormented by humans. But Carla always taught her son to treat them with respect. When Eren stumbles upon a Wing trapped in the woods, he ends up wit more then he bargained for. (eremin, AU, Winged!Armin, oneshot, fluffy)


**The Broken Wings**

Eren Jaeger loved taking walks alone in the woods.

Well, one would have to learn to love it if he was forced to do this every day. Whenever he would get too angry or too loud, his mother and his adopted sister would make he go outside the village limits and just walk for hours until he was no longer angry, but exhausted and in need of sleep rather than needing to punch.

It was a cruel but effective method.

One day, during one of these 'anger management' sessions, Eren's ears were greeted by the sorrowful sounds of tears.

Lots and lots of tears.

So, like any logical human, he followed the sounds and called out for someone, trying to figure out if anyone was in trouble. He followed the noise and walked through bushes under he could see bright, shiny yellow through the leaves.

After pushing them aside, he looked down at the weeping person in front of him. Yellow hair to his chin, bright blue eyes, skin pale as snow and large, white wings stained with red. Eren's eyes widened and the boy looked up at him, letting out a terrified yip before turning and trying to get away. It couldn't, though, its poor wing caught in a hunter's trap.

Eren had heard of the Wings before. Apparently, they were a group of people who had grown wings that arrived over one hundred years ago. They had been accepted and treasured at first, but quickly started being used as slaves, prostitutes, and even food for large dogs. The ones that weren't already captured went into hiding, lost the ability to communicate and became a rare prize, especially since they were so scarce ever since a great forest fire that happened near the village decades ago. There were even yearly hunting seasons to try to find more.

And Eren knew that with a face as pure as the one he had just seen, this Wing would fetch a high price. Not only that, but it would definitely be used as a sex slave. His pale, milky skin and large white wings even made the teenager feel a bit nauseas with need.

It made Eren feel sick to his stomach that he would even dare think that. His mother had always taught him better, to protect and care for Wings because they're abused by everyone else. She taught him to treat them like just a normal person.

"Hey!" He said, maybe a little too loudly and forcefully. The creature let out a squeak and covered its face while bursting into tears. "No, don't cry! I'm not gonna hurt you." Eren climbed out of the bush and the Wing just tried to get out of the trap again, but just managed to pull on its wing and make blood splatter on the ground.

"Look, don't pull. It'll get worse." He said. He walked forward and got on the ground by the trap. "I'll undo it. Just don't pull, it'll get tighter." Eren started messing with the trap. His father used this kind, only with a less expensive material, to hunt for birds and rabbits. This one was twice as large, though, and made with much more silvery material. It was made just for Wings.

And Eren knew just how to break this kind.

His father had taught him how, just in case he had a problem just like this.

After snapping two wires and pulling apart tight metal jaws, all he had to do was slip the ring off of the large white appendages. "Hey. You're almost free."

The creature just stared at him with large blue eyes.

"But I have to get the ring off. I have to touch your wings. Is that okay?"

At first it shook its head and then tried to stretch. All it caused was blood to drip, so he quickly nodded and shut his eyes, covering his cheeks with his hands. Eren made quick work of it, gently stroking the feathers as he ripped off the metal ring and freed the poor, destroyed piece of art.

The Wing opened his watery eyes and spread his wings. One drooped and hung lower than the other and was soaked red, but it was free. He was free. He let out a surprised and happy yelp until it tried to fly away.

It couldn't.

Eren watched it try and try, hitting its wings against the ground and getting increasingly frustrated. It began to cry and curl up out of defeat, wings wrapping around his body. He hung his head and little weeping sounds once again filled the forest.

"My mother can heal you." Eren said suddenly. "You could fly again."

The creature looked up and blinked, wiping tears. It let out a quiet and curious coo.

"She could help you. She wouldn't hurt you. She loves Wings." He said. "Promise."

The creature looked up and looked scared for a second that made Eren's heart almost break. Then, he moved forward and brushed his wing on Eren's callused hand. It let out a gentle coo and made Eren smile. "See? I'm a good person."

The Wing moved a little closer and nudged his wing at Eren's side, where his hunting pack was. It let out a soft chirp and twitched its nose. It leaned forward and curled its wings to its back. As it moved closer, Eren got more nervous and slightly terrified. Then, it poked the hunting sack and chirped. Eren blinked and opened it up, confused. "What? Do like it?"

A pale white hand reached inside and pulled out the bread and cheese that was supposed to be Eren's lunch. Before he could tell the Wing no, it scampered back and held its healthy wing defensively, sniffing the food and yipping. "Hey, that's mine!" Eren was about to crawl forward until the winged boy hissed and sniffed the bread again. In a few seconds, the bread was gone and in the little boy's stomach. The cheese soon followed and the creature was chirping excitedly afterwards.

"That was my lunch…" Eren grumbled. The creature moved forward against and nduegd at the pack once more. "Oh, no you don't. I'm hungry too!" It whimpered and pulled out a small jar of pink jelly. Eren snatched it away and it scwaked in protest. "No! This is my food. You just had a meal."

It took back the jar out of Eren's hands and tried to open it but to no avail. "You can't even get it out. Give it back!" He took it away and turned, like a child. He unscrewed the top and proceeded try to eat, but was distracted by the sad whimpering and quiet little meows from behind him and the warm hands that hit against his back. He turned his head and was met inches away from a pouty and sad Wing. It let out a sad chirp and begged with its large, blue eyes.

Eren let out a huffy sigh and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Only a little." He dipped two fingers into the jelly and held it out. "It's strawberry."

He shouldn't have used his fingers. In a second, the little Wing had his mouth around Eren's fingers, licking and sucking and making Eren blush brightly. He jerked his hand back. "There!" He said loudly, his cheeks bright red. "You had some."

The creature cooed and leaned forward to nuzzle Eren's shoulder, chirping loudly. It then grabbed onto his shoulder and started to climb over him like he was a rock. "Hey! No! Get off, I can't-" He was silenced when a wing hit him in the face. The creature was surprisingly light weight and was just sitting on his shoulders calmly, blowing on Eren's hair and petting it.

That's when Eren remembered the little creature was naked.

He shoved the creature onto the ground and took off his dark green cloak. "Put this on. And hold your wings tight, it's the only way I can get you to my mother to be healed."

The Wing stared at the cloak then proceeded to bite it.

"No!" Eren pulled it away and out of its mouth. "This was given to me by the corporal of the cavalry! You can't eat it." He reached over and tied it around the little creature's neck. "There. See? It's warm and it covers, er, everything."

It sat there, confused by the garment before just crawling over and on top of Eren again, chirping and sprawling out. With a sigh, the boy set the Wing down and stood up. "You'll have to get on my back. And be completely quiet." He pulled the little blonde onto his back and adjusted himself a little. "I should name you. I'll name you…" Eren looked around. "Armin."

Armin cooed and leaned forward against Eren, little thin white arms wrapped around thick muscled tan shoulders. He nuzzled again Eren's back and fluttered his wings against the cloak.

As the pair began to exit the forest and go towards the village, Eren realized just how dangerous this was. If he was caught in the streets with such a pretty Wing, he would surely be fought for it. If the hunter who set that trap came looking and caught him with his desired prey, he would surely get assaulted. Not only this, but Armin could end up in an awful place on his knees in front of a very drunken man.

As they walked, Armin was mainly quiet except for a fluttering of wings and the occasional coo of joy and curiousity. When they reached the first few buildings of the village, Armin went completely silent and still. Eren could feel the boy's heartbeat against his back and how it pounded and jumped against pale thin ribs and protruded. It only hammered in the tension of the situation.

Being completely quiet and unnoticed in the middle of the day with a naked child with barely—hidden wings on your back is very difficult.

When Eren finally reached his house, he let out a sigh of relief and kicked open the door. "Mom!"

His adopted sister Mikasa was sitting at the table working with their mother on a quilt. "What is it, Eren?" She said passively. She didn't even turn around.

"A Wing. In the woods." Eren walked in and set Armin on a bench by a window. He pulled his thin knees to up his chest and under the cloak. "And he's hurt."

His mother, Carla, stood up and turned around. Her eyes widened. "Eren, shut the door. Lock it and bolt it." Eren followed his orders. "Mikasa, get the kit from the cabinet near the water storage." The girl got up and made her hasty way to the other side of the kitchen. Carla walked over and bent down in form of Armin. "Hello, little one."

Eren leaned over his mother's shoulders. "His name is Armin."

Carla turned around and scowled. "You can't name it that, Eren. You know better."

Mikasa walked back over with a basket. "Why can't he name it Armin?"

"Before you came to us a family had a little boy that was killed in the woods by a coyote. It's name was Armin."

"I've always liked the name." Eren said quietly.

"Mikasa, unwrap bandages." She commanded. "Now, darling, I'm going to ask you to take off the cloak." Carla reached over to the Wing and it instantly burst into tears and shook its head. After burying it's head into knees, it reached out grabbing in Eren's direction.

"Eren? It seems to like you. Keep it calm and get it to undress." Carla said calmly.

Eren hesitate before leaning over. "Armin? Armin, lift your head, come on." He pet the blonde hair until the little creature looked up. "Hey, look. I'm gonna take the cloak off, okay?" He reached foreward and before he could reach the strings Armin leaned into the touch and purred, nuzzling his face into Eren's hands. Eren blushed and moved to untie and remove the garment.

"Good job. Mikasa, can you please get me a bowl of water for him? He looks malnourished." The mother got on her knees and started to examine the Wing. After Eren made him turn around, Carla began to wrap and wash his wing. "It's broken. But it will heal with time and care. He'll live with us until he's better."

That night, Eren slept in his small cot with Armin at his feet, curled up like a cotton ball. When Eren would wake up for no reason, he would reach down and stroke the feathers before falling back into the bed.

Mikasa woke up before Eren and took Armin to the bath. When she came back, Armin was crying in her arms and she was apologizing. "He doesn't like water but his wound needs to be cleaned."

Armin didn't let go of Eren for hours. He clung onto him, dressed in nothing but short cloth shorts covered his most private areas. He wouldn't let go of Eren's arm, torso, shoulders, anything.

He began to sleep like this, curled up into Eren with their heartbeats matching. Every morning, Mikasa would wake to them clinging onto each other and Carla would walk into a room full of gentle coos and snores that emitted from the bed on the other side of the room.

The pair didn't leave each other's side, waking or sleeping.


End file.
